For a long time, I think I assumed those two things would naturally go together. Work hard. Do good work. Keep moving forward. Success and fulfillment will follow.

Except sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve coached plenty of incredibly successful professionals who have done everything they were “supposed” to do. They earned the credentials. Got the promotion. Became the manager or partner. Checked the boxes.

And somewhere along the way, they started wondering: Is this it?

I don’t think the answer is necessarily to leave your firm, change careers, or blow up the life you’ve built. Sometimes the problem isn’t your career. It’s misalignment.

Recently, I had the opportunity to write about this for the Journal of Accountancy. In the article, I share four questions inspired by the Japanese concept of Ikigai that have helped me, and many of the people I coach, to think differently about career purpose:

What gives me energy?
What are my greatest strengths?
Where do I make the greatest impact?
Where is there opportunity to contribute more?

Think of those questions as a compass. They won’t give you a perfectly mapped-out destination. But they can help you determine whether you’re headed in the right direction.

And that may be the better question. Not, “What should I do with the rest of my career?” But, “Am I headed in the direction I actually want to go?”

I’d love for you to read the full article here: How to craft the CPA career you want